Saint John's ends its regular season with a must-win game at St. Olaf this Saturday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Skoglund Center in Northfield. – Listen Live (Real Audio Player) | Live Video
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (11-13, 10-9 MIAC) made 11 of its first 13 shots and never looked back in a 77-50 win over Saint Mary's on Feb. 13 in Collegeville. The Johnnies led by as much as 22 (43-21) in the first half before missing eight consecutive shots in the final 5:25. Saint Mary's, however, capitalized on SJU's cold streak with only four points during the span to take a 43-25 deficit into halftime. SJU out-scored SMU 42-6 in the paint and led by as much as 29 (71-42) with five minutes remaining. Freshman Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) led the Johnnies with 16 points and added five rebounds, while senior Chris Neumann (Winsted, Minn./Holy Trinity) followed with 15 points. Freshman Alex Schmitt (Chaska, Minn./Waconia) tallied 13 points off the bench. Senior Sam Dittberner (New Prague, Minn.) collected five points, six rebounds and four assists. Classmate Chris Orgas (Lakeville, Minn./North) recorded only two points but grabbed nine rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. Will Swiggum led the Cardinals, which shot 28.6 percent from the field in the game (23.1 percent in the second half alone), with 12 points.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: There are two scenarios in which SJU can earn a berth to next week's six-team MIAC playoffs. Both require the Johnnies to win Saturday in Northfield.
1. Either a loss by Gustavus Adolphus (at Concordia-Moorhead) or Bethel (vs. Macalester).
2. A four-way tie at 11-9: wins by Gustavus and Bethel, and a loss by Carleton (vs. Hamline). In this scenario, Bethel would be the No. 4 seed, SJU the No. 5 and Gustavus No. 6 due to the four team's head-to-head records.
A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (9-15, 8-11 MIAC) is looking forward to returning to home court after losing two straight on the road, including an 81-72 defeat at Augsburg Feb. 9 and a 62-57 loss at St. Thomas Feb. 13. The Oles have won their last three games at home, mirrored by four straight losses on the road. Sophomore guard Sterling Nielsen (12.8 ppg.) and junior guard Connor Gunderson (12.4 ppg.) are the only double-digit scorers for the Oles. St. Olaf is last in the MIAC in three-point shooting at 32 percent.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Saint John's extended its win streak to three games with a 75-61 victory over St. Olaf earlier this season on Jan. 19 in Collegeville. SJU took an eight-point lead into the half, 36-28, thanks to four three-pointers and 18 points in the paint. The halftime lead could have been much larger, however, had the Johnnies not missed seven shots in the paint (12 for the game). Junior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) tallied the Johnnies' first nine points of the second half as the home team led by as much as 19 (56-37) with 12:44 left. Marx led SJU with 17 points, four three-pointers and three blocks, while Kuck followed with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Junior Kevin McKenzie (De Pere, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) added 11 points and five assists. Neumann ended his stellar week (12.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg., .708 shooting percentage) with nine points and seven rebounds. Justin Pahl led the Oles with 14 points and Sterling Nielsen added 10.
SERIES HISTORY: The 75-61 win over the Oles Jan. 19 snapped a four-game losing streak for the Johnnies, who lead the series with a 60-28 record under the direction of head coach Jim Smith. SJU is 22-21 in Northfield during his tenure, but has won eight of the last 13 meetings at Skoglund Center.
